tattletale

IPA/ˈtætlteɪl/
IPA/ˈtætlteɪl/

tattletale — noun

  • tattletalesingular
  • tattletalesplural

1. a child, or sometimes an adult, who reports the small bad things other people do

1.名詞B2
釋義

a child, or sometimes an adult, who reports the small bad things other people do to a teacher, parent, or boss, usually to get those people into trouble

例句

Adina called her little brother a tattletale for telling Mom about the broken vase.

call someone a tattletale

Nobody in the class wanted to sit beside the tattletale who reported every whisper.

同義詞
  • snitch

    more slang and harsher; common about informers on serious matters

  • telltale

    the British equivalent of the same childish sense

  • informer

    neutral and adult; someone who gives information to authorities, often for reward

用法筆記

Carries a negative, childish tone; the word judges the reporter, not the wrongdoer. Most common among schoolchildren but also used jokingly of adults who report petty rule-breaking.

常見錯誤

❌The witness was a tattletale to the police about the robbery.
✅The witness reported the robbery to the police.
💡'tattletale' is for petty, often trivial reporting, not serious crime.